Chapter 21

21 The Sadist

Caspian was looking down on that criminal vampire from his elaborate seat that proudly rested on a raised platform inside the King’s Court. All the other councilmen were sitting on either side of that spacious hall.

And that criminal vampire was standing in the middle of the court while facing the King. Even now, he was not showing a trace of remorse on his face. He was blatantly glaring at the King.

Caspian leaned back on his chair and rested his chin on his palm. Anastasia had already decided the punishment for that vampire for him. And he was going to do exactly what she desired.

“Councilmen, I have already briefed you about the crime that Lord Bart committed yesterday.” Caspian had a sinister smile on his face as he gave his final verdict on the case, “And I have decided to send him into eternal slumber, never to be awoken again.”

The courtroom was filled with gasps and whispers because this was never an option for Caspian. He had never sent any vampires into a slumber before, stating that it would only be a waste of space and that the criminals didn’t deserve to keep on existing.

However, no one dared to question their King’s decision.

“Do you have any final request to make before you go to your sweet and long nap?” Caspian mockingly asked Bart to which Bart replied without missing a beat, “Yes, I do, Caspian.”

“Ugh!” Caspian rolled his eyes at that boldness of that criminal, “And now you even dare to address your King like that!” Caspian snapped his fingers and gestured his guards to show him his place.

And the guards immediately hit Bart behind his knees to make him kneel before the King. And then hit him at the back of his head to make his forehead touch the floor.

.....

Caspian gave a satisfied smile before asking in a piercing voice, “Let’s hear your final request, you old fool.”

Bart dared to lift his head to glare at Caspian again and shouted, “I want justice for my daughter. I want her murderer to be punished.”

“Your daughter was murdered?” Caspian furrowed his brows and was genuinely interested to know the story.

Bart scoffed in disbelief and snarled at the King, “Yes, a certain someone who calls himself the King of the vampires had her beheaded and burned just because she fed on some humans! I didn’t even get to see her!”

Caspian had beheaded and burned a lot of ladies until now so he was confused regarding which one that psychopath was talking about.

Zenon, who was standing by the King’s side, leaned in and whispered something in his ear.

“Ah!” And Caspian clapped his hands as though he had solved a great mystery and calmly walked down the steps to tower in front of that vampire. “So that troublemaker was your daughter. I can see that the apple didn’t fall far away from the tree.”

He furiously kicked that vampire to push him on his back and stepped on his chest. Caspian gave a death stare to that man and screamed madly, “I was not the one who killed her, it was you! You should have properly taught the rules to your daughter.”

Caspian angrily picked that man by his collar and snarled while baring his fangs, “She went into a killing spree and murdered more than 10 humans in a single night! If everyone starts doing that then we will run out of food in a day or two. Did you expect me to worship that spoiled brat?”

Bart slapped away Caspian’s hands and snarled back with an accusing look on his face, “The whole world is full of our food. If you just allow us to hunt in the neighboring Kingdoms then the problem will be solved. You are the King! Can’t you even come up with such easy solutions rather than killing your own?”

Caspian’s cold body began to fume with rage. “Zenon!” His hoarse and malicious voice resounded throughout the court, “Prepare the coffin. I’ll be in the punishment room.”

Caspian grabbed Bart by his shirt and ran while dragging him behind.

He took Bart to the same room where Anastasia had seen him murder a human before. That room had seen countless death and countless tortures in the past two centuries – the ruling period of Caspian.

Caspian had always found the cold smell of the room and the dark atmosphere to set the mood for him... to torture and kill.

Killing and torturing were the only things that had provided him some amusement in his long and lonely life. And unlike other Kings, Caspian would be happy when the crime rate was high in his Kingdom. The more the crime, the more the chance of relishing himself in the thrill of killing the criminals.

Caspian spared no time in tying that vampire’s wrists with the weighty chains that hung down from the ceiling. He quickly got a hammer and some nails from the table that was full of such tools.

And he stood in front of Bart with an eerie grin on his face.

Bart glared at Caspian with unfaltering pride and cursed him, “What are you smiling at, you sadist son of a bitc- Aaaaaaahhhhhhh...” Suddenly, Bart’s agonizing scream filled the room as well as the hallway.

Caspian had dipped the iron nails in the poison made out of deadly nightshade, a plant that was lethal to vampires. And he had hammered them down on both feet of that vampire who tried to kill his wife.

Bart felt unbearable pain in his feet, the kind of pain unknown to him until now. He clenched his teeth in an attempt to stop screaming and giving satisfaction to the sadist King who was smiling and watching him. But he ended up salivating and looked disgusting as though he was turning into a rabid dog.

“What did you do to me, you rascal? Just kill me already! Kill me!” Bart clanged the chains and shouted as the poison started to make his legs go numb.

“Relax, old man... I’m not killing you. I am going to bless you with long life in a comfortable coffin.” The sinister smirk never left Caspian’s lips.

Amused by the pleading, Caspian tilted his head like an excited puppy. However, he had tilted just enough to make the upper half of his face covered by shadow. That only made him have an uncanny resemblance to the life-size dolls kept in haunted houses.

And he spoke in such a calculatedly calm voice that for the first time ever, Bart felt literal chills running down his spine, “Now, now, old man... How do I start torturing you? Ooh! Forgot for a second that I already started.”

A grim chuckle of Caspian echoed inside the room. That chuckle itself was enough of torture to Bart.

“Now what shall I do next?” Caspian started swinging the hammer in his hand as though he was playing with a harmless pen. He then slowly circled Bart while enthusiastically mocking him, “Mmm... My mind is already flooding with so many ideas that I’m unable to decide.”

Caspian began pacing back and forth while mumbling callously, “Bleed you out... skin you alive... take out some of your organs... poke your eyes... pry out your fangs that you so craftily tried to sink into my wife’s neck... so many choices!”

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The poison had already begun affecting Bart. His legs were already paralyzed by now and the fear that he had never felt until now was engulfing his mind. “Please spare me! I will never repeat my mistake again. I will stay out of the capital if you ask me. But please, spare me...”

Caspian threw the hammer aside and nonchalantly said, “Too late for that.”

He then bare his claws and swooshed around Bart a couple of times. And when he stopped, there were several deep cuts on Bart’s wrists, neck, and ankles.

Cold blood began pouring out from those wounds like a waterfall. Bart kept on pleading and crying to be forgiven but to no avail.

Caspian let out a satisfied sigh after seeing that vampire screaming and begging in fear. “This is what you get for trying to snatch away my amusing wife from me.”

“Tsk! You have so much blood! What a waste.” Caspian whispered as he watched the growing pool of blood under Bart’s legs. “If only you were human... all this blood is making me hungry.”